Early Sunday morning (7/27/14) at approximately 1:45 AM, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fight in progress at the Table and Tap Restaurant in the Kauneonga Lake section of the Town of Bethel. When deputies arrived at the location they found a large crowd on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. While investigating the disturbance, Sheriff’s dispatch received a report of a stabbing victim being brought to Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris. Deputies quickly determined that the victim had been injured during the melee at the restaurant.

By Sunday evening a suspect was in the custody and the weapon was recovered. Deputies have charged Arton Gashi, 25, of Smallwood with Felony Assault, Criminal Possession of a Weapon, and driving with a suspended license. Gashi also had an outstanding warrant in the Town of Bethel for failing to appear on a vehicle and traffic charge. The suspect was arraigned before Town of Thompson Judge Marty Miller and sent to the Sullivan County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond.

Undersheriff Eric Chaboty wants the public to know that, “Kauneonga Lake is a safe area with nice restaurants that cater to the whole family”. This unfortunate incident appears to be a dispute between two men who are known to each other”. The victim was treated and released from the hospital. Deputies where assisted at the scene by State Troopers.

(YWN Sullivan County newsroom)